Late/absence procedures

The information below has been taken from our attendance policy. Please refer to this document for further information

1.Registration and punctuality procedures

Registers are taken twice a day, once at the start of the school day at 8:50 a.m., and once during the afternoon session. The registers will remain open for 35 minutes. Pupils arriving before the end of the Registration period will be coded L (Late before registers close) which is a present mark. The number of minutes late will be recorded in the register. Pupils arriving after the registers have closed will be coded U (Late after registers close) which counts as an unauthorised absence.

The school is now expecting pupils in Years 2-6 to be in class by 8:45 and pupils from Nursery, Reception and Year 1 to be in class by 8:50. Gates will open at 8:35 to give you suitable drop-off time. This is all in order for lessons to begin earlier so that maximum effective learning can take place.

Only the Headteacher or designated member(s) of staff acting on their behalf can authorise absence. If there is no known reason for the absence at registration, then the absence will be recorded as unauthorised, until a satisfactory reason is provided. If the reason given is not satisfactory in the school’s view, and/or evidence of the reason cannot be provided, the absence will be coded as O (Unauthorised absent). Absence notes received from parents/carers will be kept for the remainder of the academic year; or longer if there are concerns that require further investigation or legal action. If a pupil is persistently late the Deputy Headteacher or Learning Mentor will arrange to meet with the family as soon as the pattern is identified.

2.First Day Absence Contact

Parents are expected to notify the school if their child is unable to attend for any unavoidable reason, such as illness. If the school does not receive notification it will text/telephone on the first day of absence, to try to ascertain the reason. First day contact will be carried out as early as possible in the school day, in order to notify parents whose children may have set off for school, but not arrived, as quickly as possible.

3.Second Day Absence Contact

If the child is still absent on the second day without contact from the family, a telephone call will be made to the home. The family may be asked to come to school for a meeting.

4.Continuing Absence Procedures

In the event of an absence of three or more days without contact from the family, a home visit will be made. Any child who is absent without explanation for 8 consecutive school days (85%), who has a pattern of erratic attendance (85%), or persistent lateness after registers close will be referred to the Attendance Management Service in order that further investigations can be made. Such cases will be allocated to an Attendance Management Officer who will visit the home, set targets for improvement, signpost sources of support if needed, and ultimately recommend court action or a Penalty Notice if there is no improvement.

5.Frequent/Persistent Absence Procedures

Regular trawls of the registers will be made by admin staff to identify pupils with a pattern of absences that may lead to Persistent Absence (PA), that is to say absence of 15% or more in a half term. The Deputy Headteacher will be responsible for putting in place actions for each pupil of concern. Initially the school will try to resolve the problem with parents/carers, but if the pattern continues the school will refer to the School Health Adviser if the problem appears to be a medical one. In cases where there appear to be issues requiring outside intervention to support the family and the child, referral may be made through the Triage system for external agency support. All PA pupils and their parents will be subject to an Action Plan or Parenting Contract. Such a plan or contract may include allocation of additional in-school or external support. Examples of unjustifiable reasons for absence from school would be:

Going shopping with parents, Birthdays

Minding other younger children in the family

Staying at home because other members in the family are unwell

Day trips and holidays in term time that have not been agreed

Arriving at school too late to get a present mark

Truancy

Death of a pet.

6.Consequences of Poor Attendance /Punctuality

For pupils whose attendance and/or punctuality fails to improve, after a range of interventions and support measures have been tried by the school, the ultimate consequences may be one of the following:

The school may ask the Council to issue a Penalty Notice on its behalf. A Penalty Notice carries a fine of £60, per parent, per child. If the fine is not paid within 20 days it rises to £120 per parent, per child. If not paid at all, court action will be initiated.

The school may ask the Council initiate court action under Section 444 of the Education Act 1996, which could lead to fines of up to £2,500, or even imprisonment.

In some cases, action may be taken under the Children Act 1989 to protect the welfare and development of the child.